Qualcomm’s Snapdragon is one of the most powerful processors used in designing mobile devices and some IoT devices. The chip is the most efficient, and it triggers the gadgets it is stocked into, to function seamlessly at high speed. Quite a lot of smartphone users have been interested in Snapdragon and how it is being rated. If you always check out the specs of your premium device before buying, you’d have noticed that there’s a number attached to the chipset model built-into your device. If you see further based on the number, your mobile price also varies. We are going to explain what this number is and how it is being decided.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Generations
Qualcomm designs Snapdragon chips with ARM RISC instruction set, this means that an SoC chip is liable to contain multiple CPU cores. Also, Qualcomm designs Adreno Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to act as a wireless modem to its Snapdragon chips for apt efficiency.
Also, Snapdragon chips are sophisticated with a lot of modern technologies such as Hexagon Digital signal processor (DSP), Qualcomm Spectra Image Signal Processor (ISP), and others to boost users’ experiences. You’ll find these chips on mostly premium Android smartphones, as most mid-level smartphones come with MTK chips.
However, Not only in Snapdragon chips are also used for making car accessories that have to contain chipsets. It is a high, efficient chip. Now, let’s discuss its generations and versions.
This article succinctly details the Snapdragon 400, 600, 700, and 800 Series. While this data was curled from the official Qualcomm’s website, we have ranked them following our methods/algorithms. We believe that this piece of content will go a long to help most smartphone users in making a better choice when buying a new device.
Merely, as anyone would guess, a device packed with a higher SOC will likely perform better than another which does not come with such SOC spec; gaming, multi-tasking, etc. run swiftly on devices with higher versions of snapdragon chipset.
Processor Number Series Explanation
We have listed the various versions of Qualcomm’s snapdragon chipsets starting from the newest to the oldest version of the 400 series. Now, you can quickly know how premium your device is when you see its chipset’s model. If you own a Mobile built with Qualcomm’s 800 series chip, then, you’re in for seamless multi-tasking, mobile gaming at any level, and a whole of other benefits. A lot of technologies were used to design Snapdragon 855/855+; these versions support 5G technology and other innovative technologies.
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Snapdragon 4xx series was designed for budget devices; while they are efficient and come with some right technologies, they’re practically outdated at this time.
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Snapdragon 6 series are the successors of the 400 series, and they come with Mid specs as expected. These series are meant, or rather, mostly seen on mid-range smartphones.
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The Snapdragon 700 series comes with cutting-edge technologies, fully fortified for excellent performance/high efficiency. You’ll find Snapdragon 700 chips on most high-end devices and some expensive mid-range devices.
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Finally, there is the latest series – Snapdragon 800; this series features a lot of highly impressive chips that are designed with bleeding-edge technologies. The 855+ is the latest in this series, and it supports the 5G network.
Flagship level Processors
These processors always use in Flagship level devices. We can say it is a Top range of mobiles. Samsung “S” Series, Google Pixel Series, OnePlus devices fall under this category. The price range is high. You will get a lot of features that you paid for. The series always starts with “8–“
Name/Version |
Fabrication |
GPU (Adreno) |
Snapdragon 855+ (SM8150-AC) |
7nm FinFET TSMC |
640 GPU |
855 (SDM8150) |
7nm FinFET TSMC |
640 GPU |
845 (SDM845) |
10nm FinFET 2nd Gen |
630 GPU |
835 (MSM8998) |
10nm FinFET |
540 GPU |
821 (MSM8996 Pro) |
14nm FinFET |
530 GPU |
820 (MSM8996) |
14nm FinFET |
530 GPU |
810 (MSM8994) |
20nm |
430 GPU |
808 (MSM8992) |
20nm |
418 GPU |
805 (APQ8084) |
28nm |
420 GPU |
801 |
28nm |
330 GPU |
800 |
28nm |
330 GPU |
Upper Mid-Range level Processors
This processor used in Above Mid-Range mobiles. Samsung “A” series, Realme devices, Nokia Mobiles are some examples in this list. Some manufacturers use this series to test the features for Flagship level mobiles. Samsung always releases some new features in this series before they are going to use in High-End mobiles like the On-Screen fingerprint sensor. The series will always start with “7–“.
Name/Version |
Fabrication |
GPU (Adreno) |
Snapdragon 730G (SM7150-AB) |
8nm FinFET |
618 GPU |
730 (SM7150-AA) |
8nm FinFET |
618 GPU |
712 |
10nm FinFET |
616 GPU |
710 (SDM710) |
10nm FinFET |
616 GPU |
Mid-Range level Processors
This processor used in Mid-range mobiles. The price range will be around $100-300 based on the Manufacturer. Some Samsung “J” series mobiles, Realme devices are examples in this list. The processor only is mid-series, not mobile. If the manufacturer optimizes the mobile correctly, it can perform well. Google pixel 3a comes 660 processor. Beyond IP Ratings and Premium Design, It acts like a Flagship level mobile. If you planned to buy this mobile, we have some excellent reasons for you. Refer- Reasons to buy Google Pixel 3a. Nokia devices come with Android One OS. So, the performance purely depends on Optimization. This series starts with “6–“.
Name/Version |
Fabrication |
GPU (Adreno) |
Snapdragon 675 (SDM675) |
11nm FinFET |
612 GPU |
670 (SDM670) |
10nm FinFET |
615 GPU |
665 (SM6125) |
11nm FinFET |
610 GPU |
660 (SDM660) |
14nm FinFET |
512 GPU |
636 (SDM636) |
14nm FinFET |
509 GPU |
632 (SDM632) |
14nm FinFET |
506 GPU |
653 (MSM8976 Pro) |
28nm |
510 GPU |
652 (MSM8976) |
28nm |
510 GPU |
650 (MSM8956) |
28nm |
510 GPU |
630 (SDM630) |
14nm FinFET |
508 GPU |
626 (MSM8953 Pro) |
14nm FinFET |
506 GPU |
625 (MSM8953) |
14nm FinFET |
506 GPU |
617 (MSM8952) |
28nm |
405 GPU |
616 (MSM8939 v2) |
28nm |
405 GPU |
615 (MSM8939) |
28nm |
405 GPU |
610 (MSM8936) |
28nm |
405 GPU |
600 |
28nm |
506 GPU |
Budget level Processors
This processor used in Budget variants. Android Go devices, Some Samsung “J” Series, Nokia 4 series phones have this type of processor. We can’t expect a lot of performance in this device. These mobiles will use for regular and necessary tasks. The processor series starts with “4–“.
Name/Version |
Fabrication |
GPU (Adreno) |
Snapdragon 450 (SDM450) |
14nm FinFET |
506 GPU |
439 (SDM439) |
12nm FinFET |
505 GPU |
429 (SDM429) |
12nm FinFET |
504 GPU |
435 (MSM8940) |
28nm |
505 GPU |
430 (MSM8937) |
28nm |
305 GPU |
427 (MSM8920) |
28nm |
308 GPU |
425 (MSM8917) |
28nm |
308 GPU |
415 (MSM8929) |
28nm |
405 GPU |
412 (MSM8916 v2) |
28nm |
306 GPU |
410 (MSM8916 / APQ8016) |
28nm |
306 GPU |
400 |
28nm |
305 GPU |
Possible Frequently Asked Questions
My smartphone comes with Snapdragon 6– Series, is it a premium device?
Considering the Processor, It is not a premium phone. But, you should find the manufacturer optimization also. Google Pixel 3a has a 670 processor. But, It is not a low-end device. Google optimized this device as much as possible. In price-wise, It maybe looks like Less. But, It has the same features as Flagship phones.
Do all chips support 5G in Snapdragon 800 series?
No, it is only after Snapdragon 855+ and 855 variants. Others are equipped to run with 4G.
What is the latest Snapdragon model?
855+ and above is currently the newest flagship model from Qualcomm
Is snapdragon better than MediaTek – MTK?
According to benchmark results, Qualcomm Snapdragon processors are always performing better, Because of their unique GPU. The latest Snapdragon 855+ outperformed the most recent and fastest MediaTek chip – the Helio G90T with quite a wide margin.
What more?
Qualcomm has the best chipsets for manufacturer devices that require chips to function, such as smartphones, tablets, notebooks, Chromebooks, and some other appliances. Snapdragon, at the moment, remains the best processor for making mobile devices; it ultra-fast, highly efficient, and supports most cutting-edge technologies. This article is meant to enlighten smartphone users on the various versions and models of Snapdragon chips. The data used for this article were gotten from the Various trusted sources. If you have any doubts about the models and numbers, comment below.
Selva Ganesh is the Chief Editor of this Blog. He is a Computer Science Engineer, An experienced Android Developer, Professional Blogger with 8+ years in the field. He completed courses about Google News Initiative. He runs Android Infotech which offers Problem Solving Articles around the globe.
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